Clearing a parent's house in Brainerd, a rental in East Ridge after a tenant left, or a home on Signal Mountain that filled up over forty years is planning work first. The crew goes through it with you or your agent and marks each pile: keep, family, donate, sell, dispose. Whatever is left after that goes on the truck, and the house is swept broom-clean for the listing photos or the next tenant.
A hoarding cleanout is done quietly and without comment, as fast or as slow as the family can manage.
What a house, estate and hoarding cleanouts job involves
- A walk through the house, in person or on video; one written price for everything
- Anything kept or going to family is pulled aside first, then the donation and recycling piles
- What remains is carried out and hauled, a job of one or two days for most houses
- Swept broom-clean, with photos of every room sent to the family or the agent
What's included
- A walk-through and a written quote for the whole job
- Sorting into keep, family, donate and dispose with you or your agent
- Donation drop-off for furniture and goods in usable condition
- Refrigerant recovery on any appliances that leave
- Broom-clean finish with photos of every room
- Boxing of papers and photographs for the family
Not part of a cleanout
- Valuation or sale of antiques, jewelry and collectibles, which an appraiser or an estate sale company does
- Deep cleaning, carpet cleaning and repairs after the house is empty
- Hazardous waste beyond what the household facility accepts
Estate cleanouts in Chattanooga's older neighborhoods
Most cleanout calls come from families and agents rather than the people who lived in the house. The postwar streets of Brainerd, East Ridge and Red Bank, the older houses of Highland Park and the homes on Signal Mountain and Lookout Mountain are changing hands after forty or fifty years in one family, and the contents of a lifetime have to be sorted before the listing photos. Estate attorneys and real estate agents across Hamilton County keep the Chattanooga estate cleanouts number for that window.
The sorting is the work. Keep, family, donate, sell, dispose: the crew walks the house with you or your agent, sets aside anything marked for the family, and moves furniture in good condition to donation partners in the area that will take it. Papers, photographs and anything that looks personal are boxed and left for the family rather than thrown, because it is not the crew's call.
Disposal is split by what it is. Furniture and household goods go by the truck load; appliances have the refrigerant recovered first; anything hazardous from a garage or a workshop, oil-based paint, pesticides, fuel, old batteries, goes to the city's household hazardous waste facility, which takes it free from Tennessee residents, up to fifteen gallons or 150 pounds per household. The crew tells you which pile is which before the quote is final.
House, Estate and Hoarding Cleanouts pricing in Chattanooga
Cleanouts are priced by the truck load and the number of loads: a three-quarter truck runs about $540 to $650, a full truck $650 to $800, and a whole house is usually two to four loads over one or two days. A written quote for the entire job comes after a walk-through in person or by video, and that is the figure charged unless you change the scope.
The price comes down when the family clears the keep pile first and when furniture is in donation condition; it goes up with a full basement or attic, a long carry from a hillside house, and a hoarding situation that needs sorting item by item.
Full price list and what moves the price →
Related: Bulk Trash Pickup in Chattanooga: What the City Takes and What It Won't, Junk removal in Hixson, Junk removal in Ooltewah. Official page: City of Chattanooga.
House, Estate and Hoarding Cleanouts questions, answered
Where does everything from a cleanout go?
Anything the family wants is set aside first. Furniture, kitchenware and working appliances in good condition go to donation partners that accept them. Scrap metal and cardboard go to recycling. Papers and photographs are boxed for the family. What is left goes to disposal, and hazardous items from the garage go to the household hazardous waste facility rather than the landfill.
How long does an estate cleanout take in Chattanooga?
A two-bedroom house in normal condition is usually one day; a full house with a basement, a garage and an attic takes two, sometimes three if there is sorting to do. Hoarding situations run longer because nothing can be thrown without a look. The written quote gives the number of days, and the crew works to it.
Can you do a cleanout while I am out of town?
Yes. Many families are out of state. The crew meets your agent, a neighbor or a family member with the key, sends photos of anything that looks like it should be kept, and sends photos of every room when the house is broom-clean. Payment is by card after the final photos.